The present invention relates to a spinner disc and method for fiberizing molten fiberizable materials in a high temperature rotary fiberizing process, and, in particular, to a spinner disc and method for fiberizing molten fiberizable materials that prevents the separation of the upper portion of the spinner disc with its reinforcing flange from the remainder of the spinner disc when there is a rupture or other structural failure in the annular peripheral sidewall of the spinner disc along one or more rows of the fiberizing holes in the annular peripheral sidewall of the spinner disc.
High temperature rotary fiberization processes fiberize molten thermoplastic fiberizable materials by using centrifugal force to pass the molten thermoplastic fiberizable material through rows of fiberizing holes in an annular peripheral sidewall of a spinner disc. An example of such a process is a high temperature rotary glass fiberizing process wherein molten glass is typically fiberized at temperatures in excess of 1800° F. by passing the molten glass through rows of fiberizing holes in an annular peripheral sidewall of a spinner disc that is rotating at thousands of revolutions per minute. For good fiberization of the molten thermoplastic fiberizable materials in such a high temperature rotary fiberization process, the temperature of the spinner disc sidewall must be maintained high enough for proper glass flow through the fiberizing holes in the sidewall. Thus, for good fiberization sufficient heat must be delivered to the spinner disc sidewall and retained in the spinner disc sidewall to maintain even the cooler portions of the spinner disc sidewall at the minimum temperature desired for fiberization. In practice, the lower portion of the spinner disc sidewall that contains the lower rows of fiberizing holes operates at lower temperatures than the upper portion of the spinner disc sidewall that contains the upper rows of fiberizing holes. The higher operating temperatures present in the upper portion of the spinner disc sidewall cause the fiberizing holes in the upper portion of the spinner disc sidewall to wear and enlarge more rapidly than the fiberizing holes in the lower portion of the spinner disc sidewall. The wear and enlargement of the fiberizing holes in the upper portion of the spinner disc sidewall frequently cause the spinner disc sidewall to rupture, come apart or otherwise fail structurally along one or more of the upper rows of fiberizing holes and can result in the complete separation of the upper portion of the spinner disc with its reinforcing flange from the remainder of the spinner disc while the spinner disc is rotating at thousands of revolutions per minute. The potential for such failures at these high operational speeds and temperatures presents both operational and safety problems in a commercial production line. Thus, there has been and remains a need for preventing the separation of the upper portion of a spinner disc with its reinforcing flange from the remainder of the spinner disc during operation when there is a rupture or other failure in the annular peripheral sidewall of the spinner disc along one or more rows of the fiberizing holes in the annular peripheral sidewall of the spinner disc.